Finnish Runo-Song: Pekka Kuusisto (violin) & Ilona Korhonen (voice)

On Thurs 28 Sept 2017, violinist Pekka Kuusisto joins Finnish folk singer, Ilona Korhonen, to present a unique, modern perspective on runo-song, an ancient storytelling tradition from Finland. The Philharmonia Orchestra’s Digital team travelled to Finland to get a preview of what to expect. Ilona sings a story about the origins of the kantele, a traditional Finnish stringed instrument often used to accompany runo-song.

Lyrics:
I was a slave in Estonia.
I received only barley as my wage
And took the barley to Sweden to sow.
I did not stay to see how it grew,
But after five or six weeks
I returned.
There was a deer in my field,
which I took home and fed and cared for.
I took its horns and took them to the blacksmith
and asked him to make a kantele.
He did. But the kantele was not finished.
It was lacking one string.